Welcome to the seventh Newsletter of the Umayyad Pro-ject!

The purpose of this Newsletter is to provide information and updates for the Umayyad Project.

Umayyad Project is co-financed by the multilateral cross-border cooperation programme ENPI CBC MED funded by the European Union. It aims to reinforce cooperation bet-ween the EU and partner country regions located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

The 2007-2013 ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme is a multilateral Cross-Border Cooperation ini-tiative funded by the European Neighbourhood and Part-nership Instrument (ENPI). The Programme objective is to promote the sustainable and harmonious cooperation process at the Mediterranean Basin level by dealing with the common challenges and enhancing its endogenous potential. It finances cooperation projects as a contribution to the economic, social, environmental and cultural develo-pment of the Mediterranean region. The following 14 coun-

tries participate in the Programme: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Syria (participation currently suspended), Tunisia. The Joint Managing Authority (JMA) is the Auto-nomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). Official Programme lan-guages are Arabic, English and French (www.enpicbcmed.eu).

This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union under the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the partners of the Umayyad Project and can under no circumstances be re-garded as reflecting the position of the European Union or of the Programme’s management structures.

Since two years we are on the best way to achieve our goals and this publication will show you how we did it. Plea-se enjoy the following most important news and our main achievements.

1. The 5th Steering Committee in Faro (Portugal)

2. The Project Local Support Group in Seville

3. The Umayyad Familiarization Trip in Lebanon

4. The Capacity building workshop in Product Development and Destination Management was held at the Lebanese American University (LAU)

5. The training courses in the city of Cordova (Spain) enjoyed wide public support

6. The first Promotion Forum of Project Umayyad, Tunis (Tunisia), an opportunity to discuss future initiatives in this frame

7. Successful presentation of the project at the Universal Exhibition of Milano (Italy)

Content of this newsletter

Introduction

Seventh Newsletter

The Umayyad project shows its main achievements.The 5th Steering Committee Meeting gathered all partners in Faro (Portugal) together with an International Meeting on Cultural Tourism.

The 5th Steering Committee Meeting of the Umayyad Project was hold in Faro (Portugal) from the 2ndtill the 4th of June. Partners were hosted by the Umayyad project Portuguese partners: Algarve Tourism Board and Regional Direction of Culture of Algarve. Partners discussed there all the crucial issues concerning the project’s development and defined the future actions.

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During the first day, an overall review of the Project situation was made by Juan Manuel Cid, the Project coordinator, and many decisions have been taken considering that the project will finish in December, 2015. Among the activities carried out during the first semester 2015, one of the most underlined is the Familiarization trip that has been jointly developed by the Lebanese partners and the Andalusian Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus, lead partner. This fam trip gave the chance to tour operators to know some stages of the Umayyad route in the Lebanon, so they could be close to this tourist wealth and evaluate the opportunity to sell this package. The participants gave an excellent feedback on this trip. They emphasized as well that what make it especially interesting is that it means a real experience: involving local population, promoting tourist sites, gastronomy, handicrafts, etc. Under the Umayyad project 6 fam trips more will be carried out: in Egypt, Algarve, Andalusia, Sicily, Jordan and Tunisia.

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Finally, the partners had the great opportunity to participate in a field visit organized by the Portuguese partners to a stage of the Umayyad itinerary in Algarve. During the morning, they visited San Sebastião fortress and Castro Marim Castle; later, the Archaeology Museum, Alcoutim Castle and Ruins of Alcoutim Old Castle. In the afternoon, they visited Cacela Velha village, the Islamic exhibition in Tavira and to finish the old Almohad tower.

Besides, the Lebanese partners, the Municipality of Byblos, Lebanese American University and Safadi Foundation presented the advances on the Anjar’s museum designs, which will be open by the end of 2015.

On the 2nd day, an International Meeting on Cultural Tourism took place in the Municipal Museum of Faro. During this event, the President of Faro’s municipality, Rogerio Bacalhau; the Regional Director of the Regional Algarve Culture Board, Alexandra Gonçalves; the President of the Algarve Tourism Board, Desidério Silva, and Juan Manuel Cid, representative of the Andalusian Public Foundation the Legacy of al-Andalus, lead partner of the project, stood up the idea that cultural tourism is a key to sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean area. Afterwards, Nathalie Sanzo, of the Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) expounded the APP project of the Umayyad itinerary within the Mediterranean region. Furthermore, the Professor Mostafa Zekri talked about The Umayyads in Gharbal-Andalus, and Lola Luque, representative as well of the Andalusian Public Foundation the Legacy of al-Andalus, presented the interest of cultural tourist. At the end of the meeting, partners got a guided tour of the Municipal Museum and the Faro Historic Centre.

The objective of the meeting was to exchange experiences and views on the progress of this project with culture and tourism experts in Andalusia as well as representatives from the public and private sectors.

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The Project Local Support Group in Seville goes a step further in spreading the Umayyad Route

The Andalusian Public Foundation “The Legacy of al-Andalus” and the Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce organized a Local Support Group meeting in Seville. The event took place at the Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce’s headquarters. The Umayyad project, funded by the ENPI CBC Med programme and led by the Andalusian Public Foundation “The Legacy of al-Andalus”, promotes sustainable

tourism based on the design of a transnational tourist route in seven countries which share common history and culture: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon; and the creation of specific national routes in each partner country.

The project foresees Local Support Group meetings in order to involve the social representatives and to know their opinion about the route. At this meeting, the project coordinator, Juan Manuel Cid, informed about the Umayyad Route approach in Andalusia and, more generally, about the routes in the other countries involved. The Umayyad Route in Andalusia starts in Algeciras (Cadiz) and goes through Medina Sidonia (Cadiz), Sevilla, Carmona (Sevilla), Écija (Sevilla), Córdoba, Zuheros (Córdoba), Carabuey (Córdoba), Priego de Córdoba, Alcalá la Real (Jaén), Almuñecar (Granada) and finishes in Granada. The route has been designed considering the cultural heritage, diversification of supply of services and tourism infrastructures. It involves capital cities already consolidated at tourist-cultural level as well as other municipalities that have potential to be integrated into the Umayyad Route.

Tourism and culture experts of Andalusia and representatives from the public and private sectors as the Chamber of Commerce of Seville, Municipalities of Algeciras, Carmona, Ecija, Medina Sidonia and private companies, as well as other representatives of the Andalusian Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus and the Andalusian Council of Chambers, actively participated in this meeting, contributing to the success of it through the exchange of experiences and points of view.

The objectiveThe contents of the project website also have been presented. It has been designed in an attractive

and practical way for travelers and, in particular, informing about the Umayyad Route in Andalusia. Finally, the objectives of the Capacity Building, a training course on tourism innovation and new technologies have been presented as well.

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The Umayyad project establishes a network of cultural tourism across the Mediterranean as well as the definition and launch of local tourist routes in each of the partner countries which are part of the itinerary encompassing their rich heritage bequeathed by the Umayyad dynasty in its conquest across the Mediterranean, including the cultures and civilizations that preceded it (such as the Greco-Roman and Roman cultures). The project aims at obtaining a better seasonal and geographical spread of tourist arrivals and the diversification of products in Andalusia and the Mediterranean area.

The Umayyad Familiarization Trip in Lebanon

The fam-trip in Lebanon was organized by Safadi Foundation in collaboration with the Lebanese American University (LAU) and the municipality of Byblos. The program was designed based on the guidelines sent by the lead partner El legado andalusí Andalusian Public Foundation and the recommendations of the Lebanese Local Support Group taking into consideration the main aim of the trip which is the promotion of the Umayyad route and support of Local communities. The trip targeted tour operators, local guides & the Ministry of Tourism and focused on two main cities from the Lebanese Umayyad Route: Anjar and Baalbeck and four sub cities: Ammiq, Rashaya, Kfarzabad and Terbol.

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The itinerary selected guaranteed the balance between heritage, culture, nature and history and focused on the Umayyad dynasty as well as the civilizations that passed through the visited cities before and after. The fam-trip itinerary, goals, objectives and strategies was presented and shared with all partners during the Steering Committee Meeting in Faro (Portugal) and was highly received by all international partners.

The Capacity building workshop in Product Development and Destination Management was held at the Lebanese American University (LAU)

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The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Tourism and Culture in Lebanon, members of municipalities, tour operators and representatives of travel agencies, and other tourism experts, stakeholders and decision makers from the tourism private sector. Both the Dean and the Chair of the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the Lebanese American University (LAU) also joined this event.

The Lead partner coordinator from El Legado Andalusí, Mr. Juan Manuel Cid, the sustainable tourism expert, Mrs. Silvia Barbone, and representative of the Ministry of Culture and curator Mr. Victor Cageao, were among the speakers, along with the project heritage expert

Dr. Abdallah Kahil, the Lebanese American University (LAU) professor in hospitality management Ms. Rania El Haddad, and Vice President of the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association Ms. Martine Btaich, were speakers at this event.

Architecture studentsThe Lebanese American University (LAU) Architecture Students in Byblos mapped the main cities

on the Lebanese Umayyad Itinerary, highlighting the main architectural and historical buildings, squares and souks and presented it to the Jury at the School of Architecture in Byblos.

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The training courses in the city of Cordova (Spain) enjoyed wide public support

The training courses pertaining to the Umayyad Project, organized by El legado andalusí Andalusian Public Foundation in the city of Cordova (Spain) enjoyed wide public support. This event was attended by a stakeholders, representatives of cultural and tourist institutions and politicians who showed their interest in this initiative.

The project leader, El legado andalusí, continues with training sessions designed for the partners of the Umayyad Project, funded by the ENPI CBC MED program. The first training course took place in the city of Faro (Portugal) in collaboration with the Portuguese partner, Algarve Tourism Board. The rest of the previous training courses were held in Lebanon (Tripoli and Anjar), Jordan (Amman), Tunis and Palermo (Sicily).

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The first Promotion Forum of Project Umayyad, Tunis (Tunisia), an opportunity to discuss future initiatives in this frame

La Chambre Tuniso Italienne de Commerce et d’Industrie, en collaboration avec l’ALECSO et l’Association Liaisons Méditerranéennes, a organisé le jeudi 23 Avril 2015 au Club Culturel Tahar Haddad le premier Forum de promotion du Projet Umayyad CBCMED en Tunisie. Le thème de ce premier Forum a porté sur: «Les circuits touristiques culturels, un moyen de promotion d’un tourisme alternatif en Tunisie». Cette manifestation a été l’occasion pour présenter le projet Umayyad dans son ensemble et les prochaines initiatives que prendront les partenaires du projet en Tunisie. Ce premier Forum a représenté

un moment privilégié et important de débat et de réflexion sur la nécessité des circuits culturels comme facteur clé pour la promotion et la diversification de l'offre touristique en Tunisie.

Déroulement de l’événement :

Dans le cœur de la Médina, au siège du Club Tahar Haddad, la CTICI, l’Alecso et l’Association Liaisons Méditerranéennes ont accueilli à 9.30 les participants. Une salle a été aménagée pour l’occasion : les brochures du Projet et les programmes ont été distribués aux présents.

Il y avait dans la salle un public nombreux et varié puisque composé de divers représentants des populations-cibles à savoir les tour-operators, les agences de voyages, les guides touristiques, les municipalités, les journalistes, les universitaires et les chercheurs ainsi que les spécialistes du patrimoine, de l'architecture et de l'artisanat.

Italo-Tunisian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization ALECSO and the Association Mediterranean Liaisons, organized the first Promotion Forum of Umayyad Project on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club in Tunisia.The theme of the first Forum was focused on Cultural tours, a way to promote an alternative tourism in Tunisia. This event was an opportunity to present the whole Umayyad Project and to discuss future initiatives that will take place in Tunisia. This first Promotion Forum presented a specific issues and importance as well as debate and reflections on the need of cultural tours as a key factor in the promotion and diversification of tourism supply in Tunisia.

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Successful presentation of the project at the Universal Exhibition of Milano (Italy)

The Italian partner of the project, Castles and Medieval Towns Circuits Association (Sicily), has organised a successful presentation of the contents, main goals and achievements of the project at the Universal Exhibition of Milano (Italy) last 28th, June.